


There’s a Policeman at the Door

by doobydoo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Based on a Tumblr Post, KuroDai Bingo 2015, M/M, Policeman!Daichi, Single father!Kuroo, Six-year-old Kenma, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4525950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doobydoo/pseuds/doobydoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six-year-old Kenma needed help with his maths homework. His dad, Tetsurou, was too busy. So who else did he ask? Police officer Daichi, of course</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Maths problems

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by [trytostandstill’s kurodai headcanons](http://trytostandstill.tumblr.com/post/124761181437/kurodai-with-kenma-as-kuroos-six-year-old-son).
> 
> Check out their tumblr for other awesome kurodai headcanons!
> 
> UPDATE: I have a beta reader for this series now, so the first chapter is updated.

Tetsurou Kuroo's life was hectic most of the time. In the daytime he was a professor giving lectures, answering students' questions, or conducting research. After work he cared for his six-year-old son, Kenma. More often than not, work clashed with his home life. But he would always try to prevent work from affecting Kenma's heatlh. On a school day, he would drive home then walk to the primary school. It was a good opportunity to squeeze in some exercise and alone time with his son. And he would make sure Kenma got as much nutrition as possible — regardless of the number of tasks he had to get through, or how fussy an eater his son was.

 

“How was school buddy?” Tetsurou asked when Kenma sat down at the table for dinner. 

 

Kenma picked up the fork and poked a piece of fish patty. While pieces of vegetables were visible and recognizable after Tetsurou's effort to dice them finely, at least they were mixed with Kenma's favourite fish. “Good,” he said with a shrug as he sliced a piece of the meat.

 

Sometimes Kenma needed prompting. “How are Hitoka and Shouyou?” Tetsurou asked. Those two were the only friends Kenma had ever talked about.

 

“Hitoka doesn’t talk much.”

 

 _Look who’s talking_ , Tetsurou thought. “And Shouyou?”

 

“Shouyou got into a fight with the new kid.”

 

“New kid?”

 

“His name is Tobio and he kinda looks like you in the morning.”

 

“Oh?” Tetsurou asked, quirking an eyebrow. Kenma had rather amusing observations of other people. 

 

“Flat hair and grumpy face."

 

 _The little rascal_. Tetsurou ruffled Kenma’s hair, and did his best version of an evil laugh.

 

“Stop it dad!” Kenma squirmed and squealed, dropping the fork to save his hair.

 

Tetsurou fixed Kenma’s hair before resuming to his dinner. “Alright, eat your dinner so I can get to work,” he said.

 

Kenma’s shoulders slumped and his eyes lowered, staring at his unfinished dinner. He looked like the time Tetsurou had announced his weekend trip for a research project, and that Kenma couldn’t come along. According to Koutaro—who had babysat Kenma that weekend—the boy had refused to even watch his favourite shows, only perking up when Tetsurou had called.

 

“Is…something wrong?” Tetsurou asked. He had to, otherwise Kenma would probably bottle up his feelings.

 

“You can’t help me with my homework?” Kenma asked.

 

Tetsurou sighed. “I’m sorry, not tonight.” 

 

Kenma gently nodded and they ate in silence.

 

It pained Tetsurou whenever he had to take away his time with his son. It really did. But his report wasn’t going to write itself. “I can’t help you tonight…but is there someone else who can help you…for tonight?”

 

“Shouyou isn’t really that good at maths…I guess I’ll ask Hitoka…” Kenma said quietly—well more quiet than he usually was, bordering on a whisper.

 

It wasn’t just that Kenma only wanted help with his homework—he wanted to spend time with his father. And Tetsurou knew this. Sometimes, he wished he was a better father…no, he couldn’t think about that again.

 

After dinner, Tetsurou soaked the dishes to wash them later. The earlier he could finish the report, the more time he could spend with Kenma. He made sure the front door was securely locked before retreating to his study, just as Kenma carried his study materials to the living room—his favourite study spot.

 

Tetsurou left the door to his study open so Kenma wouldn’t feel alone. It was relatively quiet at home unless Uncle Koutarou was over. When he finished preparing his desk, Tetsurou heard Kenma talking. Even with the door wide open in a relatively small house, Kenma’s soft voice was almost inaudible. Sometimes it amused him that his son was best friends with the loud and energetic Shouyou—who probably ran on an unlimited source of energy. Other people would often describe Kenma as “shy” – but like it was some kind of flaw rather than a personality trait. Kenma wasn’t withdrawn from his peers; he just needed more time to warm up to people. If you got to know him well enough, you would see that he was rather curious and observant of the world around him. Just as he opened a new document on his laptop, Tetsurou thought he could hear the phone dialling again. Maybe Kenma really needed help with that homework. He thought he could make out Kenma saying “I’m six years old” but he brushed it off so he could concentrate on his task.

 

***

 

_Knock! Knock!_

 

Tetsurou glanced at the clock. He realized almost an hour had passed since he started this paper. He stretched his neck and shoulders before walking to the front door, passing by Kenma in the living room. 

 

“It’s a policeman,” Kenma said when Tetsurou stopped and glanced at him.

 

Tetsurou raised his eyebrows. “How do you know that?” 

 

“I called him,” Kenma said it like it was no big deal.

 

“What?!” _Dammit keep your voice down!_ Tetsurou breathed through pursed lips before speaking again. “Why did you call the police?” he asked in a calmer voice. 

 

But he was anything but calm. Police? Why would they be here? Had his son reported him for neglecting a child and his homework? He may not be a candidate for the world’s best father award, but he didn’t deserve this!

 

“Hitoka was at her aunty’s house,” Kenma said matter-of-factly, seemingly oblivious to his dad’s state of mind . “And the only other numbers I have are yours, Shouyou, and the local police.” 

 

They were doomed—no, Tetsurou was doomed. He tried his best to keep his facial expressions neutral – like everything was fine. All fine. Just _fine_.

 

But it wasn’t fine. How could he explain to the policeman his son had called because he needed help with his homework and not for an actual emergency? Was it too late to sneak through the back door— 

 

_Knock! Knock!_

 

 _Breathe, Tetsurou, inhale, exhale!_ Maybe it wasn’t the same policeman Kenma was talking to. Maybe it was someone else…like a pizza delivery man who had written the wrong address or something. Yeah that must be it. Why would a policeman come just because a boy needed help with his homework? The last time Tetsurou had checked, it wasn’t part of the job description.

 

Tetsurou unlocked the door, and inhaled before turning the handle.

 

He was greeted by a man in police uniform, slightly shorter than he was, with dark neatly-cropped hair, round deep brown eyes looking at him, and a smile that would make flowers bloom…or some other better analogy. And there was something familiar about the man that Tetsurou couldn’t put a finger on.

 

“I’m Officer Sawamura,” the policeman said and held out a badge. “But you can call me Daichi.” 

 

Tetsurou had forgotten about the other component of breathing—exhale. He lets out a sigh and cringed when it sounded like a heavy sigh. Not only was there a policeman standing at his door Tetsurou thought Officer Sawamura was—in the words of Koutarou—“hoot!” He was screwed. He really was. 

 

Kenma peeked out from behind his dad. 

 

Officer Sawamura bent down until he was at eye-level. “Are you Kenma?” When the boy nodded, he continued. “Have you solved those problems since we last spoke?”

 

Opening his workbook to show the officer, Kenma shook his head and pointed to a circled question. “I answered more but some are really hard.” 

 

Meanwhile, Tetsurou thought it was remarkable that Kenma was conversing and sharing with a stranger so soon after meeting them for the first time. It was as if they had known each other for a long time. Daichi must have bonded with his son over the phone. Was this guy real? Tetsurou felt awkward for the three of them to stand at the door so he invited Officer Sawamura inside. He was still not over the fact that a policeman was at his house, to help his son with his homework, when there could be more serious matters to attend to.

 

“Officer Sawamura—“

 

“Call me Daichi.”

 

“Daichi…is it really okay for you to be here? Didn’t you think this could be a prank?”

 

Daichi chuckled as he removed his shoes. “My shift was ending. And I thought that if this is a prank I could catch the culprit. And if it’s genuine—” he smiled at Kenma—“I can help a boy and his homework.”

 

This man was willing to help even though he wasn’t obliged to. He must be some kind of angel in disguise. But if something was too good to be true, it probably is. So while he was grateful there was someone to lend Kenma help, Tetsurou didn’t want to let his guard down.

 

“Make yourself comfortable,” Tetsurou said. “What drink would you like?” 

 

“Just water is fine thanks,” Daichi said, sitting cross-legged next to the coffee table, which was covered with Kenma’s materials.

 

Tetsurou took Kenma with him to his study and the kitchen. When they returned with the laptop, drinks and snacks, Kenma sat down next to Daichi and immediately set to work. Tetsurou tried to block out their conversation to focus on his document. 

 

It was easier said than done. Tetsurou was fascinated by the way Daichi patiently guided Kenma through the problems. Daichi would first ask Kenma how to approach each question to let the boy figure it out on his own first. When Kenma was stuck, Daichi showed another example or broke down the question into smaller parts. And he would give words of encouragement or compliment along the way. Again, was this guy real? They looked like a father helping a son with his homework, something Tetsurou wished he did more—no, he had to stop thinking that way.

 

When Kenma announced that they had finished, Tetsurou groaned. Another half an hour had passed without much progress on his report. In fact, he was still on the first page.

 

“Then I’ll be going,” Daichi said, standing up to stretch and yawn.

 

“Thank you, please come again.”

 

Even though it sounded like something a salesman would say, Kenma was a terrible liar so the latter statement meant that he genuinely liked Daichi. Tetsurou couldn’t help but smile fondly at that. But he was also concerned that Daichi would feel uncomfortable by the request. 

 

“Well if you need help again I’d be glad to,” Daichi said, and wrote down a number on a spare piece of paper and handed it to Kenma. “Ring me with this number instead.”

 

Kenma thanked Daichi again and neatly folded the paper to slip it into his mini phone book. 

 

 _He really is an angel in disguise_ , Tetsurou thought. He asked Kenma to get ready for bed while he walked Daichi to the door. 

 

“Thank you again,” Tetsurou said at the door. “Can I return the favour some time?”

 

“No need,” Daichi said but didn’t look up as he tied his shoelaces. His face softened as he chuckled. “I don’t have a child.”

 

Tetsurou felt like he may have struck a chord—in a bad way. He cursed himself and hoped at least he didn’t come across as creepy or intrusive. 

 

“I can’t thank you enough,” he said, hoping to cut the tension—if there was one. He was aware of his tendency to overreact sometimes.

 

“No problem.” The angelic smile returned to Daichi’s face—much to Tetsurou’s relief. “And you can find me at the local police station.”

 

After Daichi had left, Tetsurou closed the door and it hit him. No wonder Daichi had looked so familiar! He had seen Daichi around the area a few times when he and Kenma strolled around the local park next to the police station. Maybe he would have realized sooner if he wasn’t so fixated on watching Daichi walk away…

 

And there was his neglected report.


	2. Movie date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a dreadful morning, Tetsurou wanted nothing but a warm drink and some relaxing time with Kenma at home. What he didn’t plan for was spending the rest of his day babysitting four children. Oh, and Daichi was there too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're going to get sick of reading this but many thanks to my beta reader Airheart ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Airheart)).
> 
> Second, I apologize that I initially listed this fic as two chapters. The ideas for this chapter came to me when I tried to keep myself awake and entertained during a placement (I'm such a model student). I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did writing it! More details about the next chapter in the end notes.

 

Tetsurou yawned for the nth time that day as he waited for Kenma at the school entrance. He’d been having a rough day—bumping into a glass door, arriving at the wrong lectures, losing papers, and someone eating his favourite turkey sandwich by accident. He could do with a warm drink and some relaxing time with Kenma. 

 

When the bell rang, he spotted Kenma walking with his friends – Hitoka, Shouyou, and another boy who Tetsurou had not seen before. He seemed to resemble the “flat hair and grumpy face” Tobio his son had talked about a week ago.

 

When they approached him, Kenma tugged on his sweater.

 

“Can my friends come over today? We want to build a fort!”

 

Although delighted that Kenma wanted to spend time with his friends, Tetsurou was exhausted. Then he remembered all the times he had left Kenma alone to finish work or go on overnight trips…when was the last time they had guests over? Daichi’s visit a week ago had been unexpected and didn’t really count.

 

“Okay, everyone can come over.”

 

Hitoka and Shouyou squealed and high-fived each other; they hadn’t visited the Kuroo home for months. Tobio didn’t seem to have much of a reaction, but judging by the blink-and-you-miss-it tight-lipped smile on his face, Tetsurou assumed he was excited as well.

 

“Hello, I’m Tetsurou, Kenma’s dad. What’s your name?”

 

“Tobio,” he said. He emphasised the ‘o’, and with his round doe-like deep blue eyes, Tobio resembled a fish— _a cute one at that._

 

Tetsurou knew Hitoka’s and Shouyou’s parents well enough to know they’d let their children stay over for a couple of hours. They should be there soon to pick their children up, but he could ring them before to save them the trip. However, he didn’t know Tobio’s parents, and vice versa. The thought of Kenma going to a stranger’s house was terrifying enough for him, and he wouldn’t want Tobio’s parents to go through that.

 

“Are your parents okay with you coming over, Tobio?” Tetsurou asked.

 

“My mum is over there,” Tobio said, pointing to a woman with shoulder-length black hair and glasses dressed in a sharp, gray business suit, standing a few feet away from them.

 

Tetsurou motioned for the kids to come along as he walked up to Tobio’s mother, who introduced herself as Kiyoko. They engaged in a small talk while the children chatted among themselves. 

 

“Tobio talked a lot about Kenma’s idea to build a fort at each other’s houses,” Kiyoko said.

 

“Really?” This was news to him. Maybe he should take more time to ask Kenma things other than school.

 

“He doesn’t seem like it, but he’s rather talkative at home.”

 

“Ah, that wasn’t what I meant—” Tetsurou scratched the back of his neck. “—I just thought that Kenma would tell me those kind of things.”

 

“I had to ask specific questions to get that information from Tobio. He usually talk about his favourite shows though.” Kiyoko sighed. “I’m just glad to know he has friends.”

 

Tetsurou nodded. Kenma was like that too. “Looks like Tobio’s fitting in with the group well. It’s scary not knowing if your child fits in with people at school or not.”

 

“Exactly. It’s one less thing to worry about when I’m trying to adjust to my new work.”

 

It must be tough. Tetsurou had been at his job for years but he still struggled with trying to find the balance between work and Kenma. He was about to ask for her permission to let Tobio come over and play but another idea hit him. After all, it wasn’t often that Kenma asked to have his friends over. It would be beneficial for his social development. It would be a good opportunity to get him and Tobio to get to know each other better too.

 

“Kenma wanted everyone to come over to build a fort, but I’m quite free tonight...so I’m thinking the kids can stay for dinner too. If that’s alright with you that is.”

 

She pondered for a moment, but after seeing her son talking enthusiastically with his friends, she agreed and thanked Tetsurou for the offer. He invited her along too but she politely declined. They exchanged contact details and he promised to bring Tobio back before bedtime.

 

“Behave and have fun,” Kiyoko said before planting a kiss on Tobio’s forehead.

 

Tobio grumbled and rubbed the area. But he waved and watched as she walked away until she was out of sight.

 

Tetsurou turned back to the children and asked, “Now, what would you like for dinner?”

 

“My dad’s a good cook,” Kenma said with hands on his hips and chin up like he was proud.

 

“Spaghetti!” Shouyou shouted.

 

 _That would be so messy, please no_ , Tetsurou thought.

 

“Curry,” Hitoka said.

 

 _That would take a while to prepare_.

 

“Pizza,” Tobio said, as he drew a circle in the air with his fingers.

 

“PIZZA!”

 

“Dad makes awesome pizzas. He lets me decorate my own! ”

 

“I like to have mushrooms on mine.”

 

It was unanimous then, which wasn’t so bad since they could help as well. This could be fun, and possibly get very messy. But the occasion was special, Tetsurou reminded himself. He rang Hitoka’s and Shouyou’s parents as the children started shifting their discussion to Scooby Doo.

 

They made a detour to a local supermarket, Ukai Family Store. Just as they were about to enter, Tetsurou spotted a familiar face in a police uniform approaching from the opposite direction.

 

“Daichi!” Tetsurou said, and cringed at how loud he was.

 

“Good afternoon! Did you have more kids since we last met?”

 

“Very funny.”

 

“Are you a policeman? Do you fight bad guys?” Shouyou asked, looking up at Daichi with wide eyes. He held his fists in front of him, like he was prepared to fight.

 

Daichi clutched his stomach laughing. He had a hearty laugh – something Tetsurou found rather endearing. “You make me sound like a superhero!” he said when he regained his breath, and crouched down to look Shouyou in the eye. “But not all people I catch are necessarily bad guys.”

 

Shouyou frowned and pouted, seemingly disappointed that his previous vision of policemen had been shattered.

 

“You have interesting hair there. What’s your name?”

 

“Shouyou!” the boy shouted. The conversation barely a few seconds earlier was seemingly forgotten. “My dad said I am the sun!”

 

There was a round of laughter, even from strangers passing by. Tetsurou noticed that the only one who didn’t react to Shouyou’s statement was Hitoka, who was clinging onto Kenma’s arm. He decided to wait until they were alone before asking her.

 

“What are you guys doing here?” Daichi asked.

 

“We are making pizza!”

 

“And build a fort too,” Tobio said, joining his hands above his head to resemble a roof.

 

“Wow, a fort? And pizza sounds good.” Daichi patted his stomach. “Homemade ones are even better.”

 

Another idea flashed across his mind and Tetsurou ran with it. He still hadn’t shown his gratitude to what Daichi did for Kenma a week ago. “Hey Daichi, these kids are coming over for dinner tonight and, well, one more person wouldn’t make too much difference, “he said. “If you want, that is.” Hopefully his invitation didn’t sound like a plea for an extra babysitter. Not that it wouldn’t help when you have four six-year-olds.

 

“Do you need an extra babysitter?”

 

Tetsurou deadpanned. “That’s not what I meant.” Not really.

 

“Actually, I was about to go buy something to eat tonight. A pizza party sounds fun. Sure, why not?”

 

That was rather easy. Did Daichi have a weakness for pizzas? Or children? Perhaps something else?

 

Tetsurou asked Daichi to look after the kids for a few minutes before motioning Hitoka to stand in the corner of the store with him for a talk.

 

“I couldn’t help but notice you looked uncomfortable before,” Tetsurou said, lowering down to his knees to maintain eye contact. “Are you alright?”

 

Hitoka looked down at the floor between them and fiddles with the hem of her school skirt. “My grandparents said that if I’m not a good girl, the police will come take me away,” she mumbled.

 

Although it was admittedly hard to imagine Hitoka misbehaving, it saddened Tetsurou that her parents had threatened her like that, leaving her with a fear of the police.

 

“Trust me, police officers never capture children because they’re misbehaving. You can ask Officer Daichi later yourself, unless you don’t want him to come over, which I’m sure he’ll understand.”

 

Tetsurou realized he may have dumped too much information on her at once. He waited patiently for Hitoka to consider what he had said. 

 

“Kenma told us about the policeman helping with his homework,” she said. “He seems cool.”

 

His son had talked about Daichi to his friends? “Well, if you still feel uncomfortable, tell me alright?” Tetsurou said, opening his arms.

 

Hitoka nodded and hugged him, before they searched for the remainder of the party in the small store. Tetsurou greeted the store clerk, Keishin, who was sitting back in his seat behind the cash register and reading a manga. He grunted a greeting in response without looking up.

 

The shopping trip turned out longer than Tetsurou had thought, since he and Daichi spent most of the time searching for wandering children. Tobio was the first to be found, standing in front of the dairy section and staring at the selections. Tetsurou told him he could add what he wanted to the cart and the boy flashed another small blink-and-you-miss-it smile before grabbing a carton of strawberry milk.

 

At the check-out, the adults fought over the bill but Keishin groaned and snatched Tetsurou’s credit card, ending the short-lived argument.

 

Daichi told them that he had some work to finish and he would drop by soon after.

 

When they got home, the children rushed to the living room and Tetsurou called after them not to hurt themselves or break anything. 

 

Just as he kneaded the flour, there was knocking on the door. Tetsurou quickly cleaned his hands before answering.

 

Daichi had changed out of the police uniform and was looking rather dashing— _that term was still used right?_ —in a casual plaid shirt and jeans. His sleeves were rolled up to near his armpits, revealing rather defined arms—not that Tetsurou was looking, of course. He was also carrying a bag of what looked like fruits.

 

“Hello! I dropped by the supermarket again and brought some fruits and ice-cream for dessert if you don’t mind.”

 

“You really didn’t have to, but thanks,” Tetsurou said, stepping aside to let Daichi in.

 

When they entered the kitchen, Daichi asked if he could offer any help. Tetsurou was close to finishing the pizza base so he asked Daichi to get the children so they could choose their own toppings. He didn’t need to tell him where the children were because the house was small and the audible voices were a good indication.

 

Tetsurou heard Daichi telling the children about the pizza base. Soon, several footsteps trotted down the hallway towards the kitchen.

 

After washing their hands, the adults stood aside to let the kids customize their pizza portions. They were rather quiet, concentrating on their tasks. Tetsurou gently nudged Hitoka to get her attention.

 

“I think you had a question for Daichi?”

 

Hitoka stopped and stared at Daichi momentarily before asking, “Do you catch bad kids?”

 

Daichi cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean by ‘bad kids’?” he asked.

 

“My grandparents say if I don’t behave…the police will come to get me.”

 

“No.” Daichi frowned. “Oh, no. We never arrest children just because they misbehave.”

 

“You don’t?” Hitoka asked. The other children had paused what they were doing and stared at Daichi.

 

Daichi shook his head. “Please don’t ever think that.” He side-glanced at Tetsurou, who tightened his lips and shrugged in response.

 

Hitoka nodded back but didn’t say anything else. Everyone gradually returned to their tasks, and Daichi started preparing the strawberries, blueberries, and mangoes.

 

Satisfied with their pizza, Tetsurou asked them to wash their hands again before they raced back to their fort. Seeing as Daichi was busy with the dessert, Tetsurou asked his preferences for toppings.

 

“I’m not really fussy when it comes to pizza. I’ll have what you’re having,” Daichi said from behind.

 

With the pizza in the oven, Tetsurou joined Daichi at the small kitchen sink to finish preparing the fruits. They made small talk as they worked - asking about events earlier that day, their job, Kenma, his schoolwork, and the weather—because _everyone_ talked about the weather. By the time the oven turned off, Tetsurou had only learned a few new things - like how Daichi had initially wanted to be a primary school teacher, but was pressured to follow after his father into law enforcement. That, and the fact that it had drizzled outside that morning—like Tetsurou would know, since he had worked inside all day.

 

The kitchen dining area wasn’t built to cater for six people so everyone had to squeeze in around the round table. Like Tetsurou had predicted, it got messy pretty quickly. Shouyou and Tobio had stacked their pizza slices with all available ingredients and struggled to fit them in their mouths. Everyone laughed as the pieces fell down like an avalanche. The duo whined like dejected puppies and everyone donated ingredients so they didn’t have to eat plain pizza crusts.

 

After finishing the pizza, Daichi brought out his desserts from the fridge and everyone dug in. The fruits Daichi had picked were especially fresh and sweet.

 

Daichi must have noticed Hitoka selectively eating her strawberries first because he offered her his. She stared at his bowl momentarily before accepting.Tobio was sitting next to her and gave his strawberries too. Shortly after, everyone else contributed also and they all laughed at the mountain of strawberries threatening to fall over in Hitoka’s bowl. Shouyou nicknamed her the “strawberry queen”, earning another round of laughter. 

 

They still had a good two hours before the time Tetsurou had promised to bring back the children after dinner, so he suggested they watch a movie together. If you thought choosing movies from six people with different opinions was easy, think again. Daichi and Tetsurou had to calm everyone down after the voices were close to shouting. Once they all quieted, Daichi suggested putting the titles on pieces of paper and pulling it out of a box to be fair. Tetsurou added that they could watch the other suggestions on other days – implying that everyone was invited over again, much to the kids’ delight. Daichi beamed at that too.

 

Eventually, Tobio got his pick with _Finding Nemo_. The adults had to squeeze in and lie on their stomachs in the cramped fort built with the couch, pillows, carton boxes, and blankets. It was cosy, but the occasional brief touches with Daichi made Tetsurou felt like he was cooking in the oven. Seriously, why hadn't he change into something else?

 

Everyone watched the movie quietly, with the occasional commentaries from the kids. Tetsurou regretted not buying popcorn at the convenience store. He made a mental note to stock up on it for the next movie nights.

 

The scene where Marlin the clownfish hugged his only remaining son, Nemo, and promised to care for him struck a chord with Tetsurou. He hugged Kenma closer but loosened when the boy started squirming.

 

The exhaustion from the morning started to return and Tetsurou had to stifle a few yawns. He gave up trying to pay attention to the movie and started thinking about the next movie date. The thought of having more movie nights like this made him elated. The house usually isn’t this lively unless Koutarou was over—maybe Tetsurou could invite him next time too, knowing how much he loved gatherings like this. His work schedule didn’t look too bad for next week - but it was quite common for things to pop up at the last minute. Only time will tell.

 

By the end of the movie, Shouyou and Tobio had fallen asleep on Daichi. Tetsurou gently lifted Tobio while Daichi carried Shouyou to the car, and Hitoka and Kenma followed behind. Tetsurou offered a ride home but Daichi refused, saying he lived within a walking distance. They bade farewell and Tetsurou drove the children home.

 

When they returned home, Tetsurou tucked Kenma into his bed.

 

“I want to do that again…” Kenma murmured with his eyes closed.

 

“Me too,” Tetsurou whispered, and kissed Kenma’s forehead before turning off the lamp.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points to anyone who got the F.r.i.e.n.d.s reference!
> 
> I have an idea of how the fic will end, so for now I changed it to four chapters. The last chapter will be more of an epilogue though.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and feedback is always welcome! I did more research on children for this chapter, but every child is unique so if something feels off, please don't hesitate to point it out.
> 
> P.S. Don't expect only fluff. You have been warned.


	3. Opening doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been over a fortnight since Tetsurou last talked to Daichi. Although he hadn’t forgotten about the policeman - not that he wanted to - there were things he wished were erased from his memory.

A knock on the door interrupted Tetsurou as he was preparing for his next lecture on his laptop. 

 

“Come in,” Tetsurou said before facing the door of his tiny office in the university building. 

 

A man with dark, short wispy hair entered the room and nodded to Tetsurou.

 

“Keiji!” Tetsurou went to stand to pour a drink from his overused coffee machine but halted when Keiji waved his hand. Keiji Akaashi was also a professor in the same department, and their offices were close to each other.

 

“Don’t bother, I’m only here to give you a hardcopy of the new syllabus.” Keiji handed the neatly collected and stapled document over and glanced over the state of Tetsurou’s desk.

 

Tetsurou opened his mouth before Keiji could. “I know I know you don’t have to say it.” He rolled his eyes before grabbing the document.

 

Keiji smirked. “I was going to point out that your clock had stopped.”

 

“I know–hah?” Tetsurou grabbed the black cat clock Kenma had picked out for him during a Christmas shopping spree and squinted at the short and long hands. Sure enough, Keiji had been right – actually, Keiji was _always_ right. As he changed the batteries, Keiji started rearranging his desk. Usually Tetsurou disliked having his things moved out of its place – even if he didn’t know where they were at first – but Keiji was a close friend, and someone who he had trusted Kenma with on a few occasions. He was about to make a mom joke when Keiji spoke up.

 

“Will you be alright this weekend?” Keiji asked, preoccupied with the masses of papers on the desk. He glanced at Tetsurou when he had gathered all the relevant documents into one pile.

 

Tetsurou nodded gently as he returned the clock to its rightful place – in his line of view, next to a photo frame of Kenma cuddling a black kitten. They had discovered the kitten when they had heard meows coming from the bush behind their house a few years ago. Fortunately, they had been able to revive the kitten with a warm blanket, food and water, before taking it to the local veterinary.

 

Kenma had named the kitten Jiji, after the black cat in Kiki’s Delivery Service movie. Over the next few weeks, Kenma and Jiji were inseparable. Their house was no longer quiet with the occasional giggles from Kenma, and meowing from Jiji. Tetsurou would often pet Jiji and silently thank her for making their lives brighter and giving his son a companion for moments when he was too busy with work or chores. It had been lively in the Kuroo household.

 

But their time with Jiji was short-lived. Three months after the cat came into their lives, Tetsurou had received a phone call from his neighbour while he was at work to inform him that Jiji had been found dead on the road a few blocks away. It appeared that a car had hit her and left her body on the side of the road.

 

The neighbour – an elderly lady who was fond of Kenma – had been generous enough to wrap the deceased cat and bury her so Kenma wouldn’t have to look. Breaking the bad news was the most difficult thing Tetsurou had had to do since explaining to a three-year-old Kenma why his parents could no longer come home.

 

Tetsurou jolted back to the present when Keiji’s hand touched his shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry.” Keiji removed his hand and settled back into his seat. “You looked like you were about to cry.”

 

Tetsurou opened his mouth to protest but Keiji seemed to have read his mind and stood up.

 

“My offer still stands, okay?” Keiji offered a small smile before exiting the room before Tetsurou could reply.

 

Every year around that day, Keiji would offer to house sit so Tetsurou and Kenma could go on a trip. And every year Tetsurou would politely decline the offer because Keiji was a busy man himself, and his neighbours were always more than willing to look after the house. But every year Keiji would ask the same question – deep down Tetsurou suspected that Keiji did it as a way to say that he was there for both father and son.

 

After checking the time and gathering some of his belongings into his satchel bag, Tetsurou made his way home, purposely taking a detour this time knowing that Kenma wouldn’t be home until after dinner because Hitoka had invited their circle of friends over to show off her new pet cockatoo.

 

It was still light outside and Tetsurou decided that a walk in the park wouldn’t hurt. Approaching the park he often frequented with Kenma, his mind started replaying the scenes of a night he would rather forget– _Stop! Not now!_ He squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled deeply as he ran through happier memories to distract himself – Kenma’s first day at school, Kenma’s first award at school, Kenma playing hide and seek with Jiji, Kenma introducing him to Shouyou and Hitoka, their day at Disneyland, the day he introduced Koutarou to Keiji at a party, Kenma’s first tooth fairy present, the day he and Kenma helped Keiji and Koutarou move their stuff into their new apartment, the day he opened the door to a handsome policeman...Daichi.

 

It had been over a fortnight since they last met when Daichi had come over for dinner and movie with his family and Kenma’s friends. They hadn’t been in contact since that night. Tetsurou’s workload had increased and Kenma’s friends had been out of town at different times so he couldn’t gather everyone to his house since then. Kenma had asked about Daichi and movie nights on a few occasions and if he was honest to himself, he had been looking forward to seeing Daichi again. The bright smile and the belly laughter never left Tetsurou’s mind. He love–liked the way Daichi’s eyes crinkled when he beamed, the way his shoulders shake when he laughed, those round brown puppy eyes, his natural ability to gain children’s trust – including Hitoka, who had had bad impressions of policemen. Everything about that man made him look like someone out of a cheesy rom-com.

 

The idea of dating had crossed his mind a few times. But every time he thought about having someone else in his life, he would shake his head and reject the idea with “I already have my hands full with Kenma”, “how would Kenma feel”, or “what if they don’t like the idea of me already having a child”. More often than not, the thought of losing someone close to him hovered over him, preventing him from committing to anyone else apart from Kenma, his friends and family. He hadn’t even told his two best friends - Koutarou and Keiji – about Daichi.

 

Even he was surprised that he hadn’t told them about Daichi because he usually told them everything. Perhaps he was in denial about Daichi being a part of his life? Or the idea of Daichi being a part of his life sounded like wishful thinking? It felt strange to him to think about, well, dating Daichi because he had stopped denying his attraction to the policeman.

 

What was stranger, however, was how he found himself standing in front of the local police station by the park. How did he even make it there without hitting into the lamp posts? He spotted a man dressed in police uniform heading towards him. The man had chin-length wavy brown hair, and a goatee. He appeared fairly intimidating, which must be useful for a man of his career.

 

“Hello, do you need help?” asked the policeman – whose name tag read Police Officer Azumane Asahi.

 

“Ah-no-I-I’m okay!” Tetsurou bowed and turned to walk away when his eyes met with a pair of brown puppy eyes – yes, _those_ eyes.

 

“Tetsurou?”

 

Nodding was the only reply Tetsurou was capable of giving. Then he realized that he only confirmed his name, not his purpose of being there – not that he knew the answer to that himself. 

 

The goatee police officer had left the scene, leaving the two of them by the entrance.

 

“How can I help you?” Daichi asked and flashed that blinding grin.

 

“I–uh...” _Hurry! Come up something! Anything!_ “...came here to see you.” He mentally face palmed himself.

 

“Oh.” Daichi scratched the back of his head and shifted his eyes to the side. “Well, here I am.”

 

Tetsurou was momentarily distracted by the endearing on Daichi’s face. He opened his mouth to say something back but no words came out – like a cat got his tongue. He ran through a number of replies in his head – ranging from “I wanted to see you” but that sounded cheesy, to “I was in the area” but that was a given since his house was down the road and not much different from the “I wanted to see you”. 

 

Eventually for what seemed like eons, Tetsurou said “I was taking to take a walk in the park.” Yeah, that sounded alright.

 

“I see.” Daichi tilted his head and scanned Tetsurou’s face. “But that doesn’t really explain why you’re here...and wanted to see me.”

 

This is why Tetsurou was a “terrible liar” according to Keiji and Koutarou. He realized that he had dug a hole for himself so deep he couldn’t climb out even with his superb rock-climbing skills. Tetsurou wondered how much deeper he could dig in this hole. “Would you like to go for a coffee sometime?”

 

“It’s a little late for caffeine though.” Daichi pointed to hints of the sunset in the distance. “My shift is ending soon...why don’t we go somewhere to eat?” He paused, then added, “Take Kenma too.”

 

“Kenma is over at a friend’s for dinner tonight. How about...” Tetsurou gulped. “...you come over and I’ll cook dinner?” He hoped the sunset in the background would somehow camouflage the blush on his face. The question sounded like asking Daichi on a date and he was sure the policeman saw it that way too.

 

They stood still in awkward silence as the entrance to the police station opened and closed behind them. Neither of them seemed to notice a silver-haired policeman sneaking up behind Daichi.

 

“Hey!” the silver-haired policeman patted Daichi’s shoulder and nodded to Tetsurou before turning to Daichi. “Time to call it a day, any plans?”

 

Tetsurou was positive he saw a subtle smirk from the silver-haired policeman.

 

When Daichi quickly introduced the two men to each other, Tetsurou swore he saw a subtle smirk from the silver-haired policeman.

 

“Ah! So you’re _the_ Tetsu–ow!” Koushi rubbed his side that had just been jabbed to Daichi’s elbow.

 

Tetsurou wasn’t sure of what that meant so he just nodded. Koushi seemed to be friendly, and close to Daichi. He wondered if the goatee policeman was a close friend too...

 

“How about you Tetsurou? Any plans for tonight?”

 

It could have been the trick of the street lights which had turned on, but Tetsurou could have sworn he saw a flicker of light in Koushi’s eyes. He decided that this Koushi may be more than he appeared.

 

“I was going to go home and cook dinner...”

 

“For yourself?”

 

“Well...” Tetsurou felt like he was being interrogated under the gaze of Police Officer Koushi. He nearly missed the little jab Daichi gave Koushi, but the latter remained unfazed. “I was going to ask Daichi for dinner but...” Wait, _but_ what? What was the _but_ doing there? Why was there a but? He may have dug a deeper hole and there was no going back.

 

“Daichi is a terrible cook–“

 

“Hey!”

 

“–would you help feed him for tonight?” Koushi patted Daichi’s shoulder harder this time and sighed dramatically. “Sometimes I’m worried he doesn’t get enough nutrients.”

 

Daichi grunted. “You say it like I’m a stray cat,” he said resentfully, but that had no effect on Koushi. “And besides it’s a bit late to intrude into Tetsurou’s house like that.”

 

“Isn’t Ukai Family Store just around the corner?” Koushi fluttered his eyelashes and pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

 

“Don’t put pressure on him,” Daichi whispered rather loudly.

 

Tetsurou started feeling like a third wheel in the conversation, but it was fairly obvious what Koushi was hinting at. “I don’t mind really, if you don’t mind a little detour to the store.” 

 

Daichi’s mouth opened but before any words came out, he was pushed – or rather, shoved –by Koushi.

 

“Great! Off you go then! Enjoy your meal.” Koushi waved to the both of them before disappearing around a different corner.

 

Daichi glanced at Tetsurou and apologized for his friend’s behaviour. Tetsurou laughed it off and the two walked with occasional casual chatter on their way to the store.

 

At the store they decided to split ways to make the shopping trip more effective. Tetsurou had decided to make prepare a simple soba noodle salad as to not keep Daichi waiting. As he browsed the noodle section, Keishin the store clerk walked up to him and slipped a paper to him before disappearing back to front counter.

 

Tetsurou unfolded the small piece of paper to unveil a handwritten note that read:

 

_It might be too late to make this tonight but next time, please make shoyu ramen – it’s Daichi’s favourite ;) – Koushi_

 

And at the bottom of the paper read _Good luck!_

 

Tetsurou blinked at the note and may have focused a little too long on the winking smiley. He repeated the words “next time” in his head, before folding the paper and tucking it into the pocket of his coat.

 

_Next time_ , Tetsurou thought as he scanned the shelf of dried noodles. His lips curved at the thought. He started imagining the two of them and Kenma sitting around the kotatsu table that had been untouched in their storage room for years. At the same time, he could hear Koutarou’s voice laughing at him for being such a hopeless romantic.

 

With the ingredients gathered, and another round of fighting over who pays that quickly ended with Keishin snatching the credit card from Tetsurou.

 

They returned to casual conversation on their way back to Tetsurou’s place after Daichi stopped pouting over not paying for the bill.

 

Preparation went relatively smooth with the two working and conversing in the rather small kitchen for two adults – save for the little hiccup with some of the noodles spilling as they were served from the pot to the bowls – but otherwise everything was satisfactory if he could say so.

 

Tetsurou deposed of the pots and utensils into the sink while Daichi set up behind him. Tetsurou quickly glanced at Daichi in the reflection in the window above the sink before checking the state of his hair (which was still as messy as it was this morning, and all his life really). He noticed Daichi staring at something in the living room.

 

“Are you and Kenma going on a trip soon?” Daichi asked. He must have noticed the travel bags sitting near the couch in the living room.

 

For a split second Tetsurou wanted to tell Daichi the whole story, but he muttered “yeah” without looking at Daichi as he wiped his hands on the hand towel.

 

“Shall we start then?” Daichi rubbed his hands as he seated himself.

 

Tetsurou was relieved that Daichi didn’t pry further about the trip, but a part of him was eager to talk about it. There was a time and place for everything and having a guest you’re trying to impress was probably not the best setting.

 

They ate comfortably. Tetsurou even queried and teased Daichi about his supposedly “terrible” cooking skills – which Daichi responded with a blush and stuffing more food into his mouth. After the meal Tetsurou poured them both some wine and they continued to talk until the doorbell rang.

 

“That should be Kenma,” Tetsurou said and took one last sip of his wine before walking to the door.

 

After thanking Hitoka’s mother, Tetsurou walked Kenma back to the kitchen, where Daichi had started to put their plates away.

 

“Daichi!” Kenma perked up when he saw the familiar man in the kitchen. He wasn’t the type of person to jump at someone they like at first sight – like Shouyou – but the enlarged eyes and the upward curves of his lips conveyed the same message.

 

Daichi started asking Kenma about his day and the two started exchanging stories. Tetsurou took the opportunity to finish tidying the table. By the time he rejoined Daichi and Kenma at the dining table, it seemed that the two of them had forgotten he existed.

 

“Hey, I heard that you’re going on a little trip, are you excited?” Daichi asked.

 

_Shit_. Tetsurou did not prepare for this. He had to do something to distract Daichi from the topic.

 

Kenma shrugged his shoulders with his eyes downcast. Daichi seemed to be confused at the reaction – and Tetsurou couldn’t blame him for that.

 

Daichi looked up at Tetsurou, which the latter took as a cue to intervene.

 

“Kenma, why don’t you go get ready for bed since we have to wake up early tomorrow?”

 

“Okay...” Kenma slipped off the chair to hug Tetsurou, and waved at Daichi before disappearing down the hallway to the bathroom.

 

Daichi stood up quietly. “I think it’s time for me to leave so you can rest up before tomorrow.”

 

Tetsurou nodded and also stood up from the table, ready to walk Daichi out. 

 

Daichi hadn’t moved from his spot and but had his back to Tetsurou. “I’m sorry...it looked like I may have struck a chord.”

 

Tetsurou couldn’t see Daichi’s face but that voice was laden with guilt. This wasn’t exactly how he had envisioned the evening would end, but it wasn’t Daichi’s fault. “No...it’s my fault for not telling you.”

 

“Not telling me?” Daichi looked back over his shoulder and blinked at Tetsurou.

 

Tetsurou inhaled deeply and gulped before he settled in the chair again. “Do you have some spare time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the late update. After a few months my motivation to write returned, but my old laptop decided to leave me. I had to start this chapter from scratch since I couldn’t remember everything I had wrote in my first draft. However, after finishing the second draft, I found out I had the first draft on a USB…*facepalm*
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the second chapter! I changed the plot slightly and this fic is longer than I had planned because I don’t want to rush things with angst...
> 
> As always, a big thank you to my beta-reader Airheart ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Airheart)) and everyone who has read this fic.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so grateful for Airheart ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Airheart)), who has been really supportive and patient with me. I apologize for not knowing know how to put into words how much I appreciate all you've done.  
> Thank you to trytostandstill for giving me helpful suggestions! I look forward to more headcanons from you :)
> 
> I’m always trying to improve so any comment will be appreciated! Thank you for spending your time to read this. 
> 
> If anything feels off, please feel free to point it out! I tried my best to portray Kenma as a realistic six-year-old but I only had the Internet and my brief experience with children to rely on.


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